Was Socrates Guilty In The Apology
In 399 BC, a famous Athenian philosopher by the name of Socrates was found guilty in two offenses. The city of Athens gathered to hear the trial, and The Apology by Plato allows to better understand what was said in Socrates’ defense and sort through the logistics of the case. Meletus, the prosecutor, charged Socrates with an account of living an impious life and with a second account of corrupting the youth of Athens. Yet, I can attest that truly Socrates was innocent in the case of these two accounts because Socrates greatest desire was to do justice for gods and the people of Athens, and to educate the city in order to expedite a reconstruction. Hegel, a literary critic expresses his views in The Lectures on the History of Philosophy, and
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The key reason that Socrates felt to educate people in higher thinking was because that was the most justice that he could perform for the city of Athens. Socrates was declared the smartest of all men in Athens by the oracle at Delphi. Socrates explains the words of the oracle, “He went to Delphi at one time and ventured to ask the oracle—as I say, gentlemen, do not create a disturbance—he asked if any man was wiser than I, and the Pythian replied no one was wiser” (Line 21a) The oracle of Apollo did not rest so easy on Socrates’s thoughts. Socrates’ justification is in concert with the oracle, not in contradiction with the oracle or …show more content…
If this was not the case, then it could be argued that Socrates is indeed guilty. Yet, I believe that Hegel does not realize that Meletus is blind to the greater good for the people. He tells, “Nevertheless, when some professor or preacher attacks a particular religion, the legislature would certainly take notice of it, and would have a complete right to do so, although there would be an outcry when it did it” (page 357-358). I can agree that Meletus is making what he thinks to be is a rational decision for the city, but Hegel never once addresses the fact that Meletus does not comprehend the crucial reasoning behind Socrates’ attempt to change the traditional ways of thinking. Hegel failed to mention that is was very probable that Meletus did not fully understand what Socrates was trying to do for Athens, so by default, he made careless
The key reason that Socrates felt to educate people in higher thinking was because that was the most justice that he could perform for the city of Athens. Socrates was declared the smartest of all men in Athens by the oracle at Delphi. Socrates explains the words of the oracle, “He went to Delphi at one time and ventured to ask the oracle—as I say, gentlemen, do not create a disturbance—he asked if any man was wiser than I, and the Pythian replied no one was wiser” (Line 21a) The oracle of Apollo did not rest so easy on Socrates’s thoughts. Socrates’ justification is in concert with the oracle, not in contradiction with the oracle or …show more content…
If this was not the case, then it could be argued that Socrates is indeed guilty. Yet, I believe that Hegel does not realize that Meletus is blind to the greater good for the people. He tells, “Nevertheless, when some professor or preacher attacks a particular religion, the legislature would certainly take notice of it, and would have a complete right to do so, although there would be an outcry when it did it” (page 357-358). I can agree that Meletus is making what he thinks to be is a rational decision for the city, but Hegel never once addresses the fact that Meletus does not comprehend the crucial reasoning behind Socrates’ attempt to change the traditional ways of thinking. Hegel failed to mention that is was very probable that Meletus did not fully understand what Socrates was trying to do for Athens, so by default, he made careless